AT&T to roll out 5G network by end of 2018

The US telecom will initially offer 5G in 12 markets by the end of this year.

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Following 3GPP's recent approval of 5G network standards, AT&T has announced its plans to roll out a 5G network in a dozen markets by the end of 2018.

The telecom had previously announced its “5G Evolution” network last year though this was a not a true 5G network and only users with either a Samsung Galaxy S8 or S8 plus could take advantage of the increased speeds that it claimed were twice as fast as its own 4G network.

AT&T has yet to reveal any significant details regarding its upcoming 5G network besides the fact that it will be based around 3GPP's new standards. Currently the availability, speeds and expected release date of the new network are unknown but it still reassuring to know that the US telecom is making the preparations necessary to launch a next generation network.

AT&T will also continue to improve the coverage of its current LTE network as well as its 5G Evolution networks this year.

5G is still a ways off from being commercially available though momentum for the new network is building fast.